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The Minnesota Digital Library is pleased to announce the publication of its special “Contributor’s Choice: 20th Anniversary Edition” online exhibit.

Contributor's Choice 2025 exhibit logo
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The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) was established twenty years ago to digitize and provide access to the unique collections of Minnesota’s cultural heritage organizations. When MDL’s website launched in 2005, it included over 5,000 historical images contributed by 51 historical societies, colleges, and cultural institutions from across the state. These founding organizations were only the beginning, and the digital collections grew quickly.

In 2023, MDL staff organized the first annual Contributor’s Choice exhibit, which provided an opportunity for our contributing organizations to share the stories behind their digital collections. The second annual Contributors’ Choice exhibit followed, with ten more favorites chosen by contributors to MDL.

For 2025, we decided to create a special 20th anniversary edition of the Contributor's Choice exhibit series. We invited organizations who provided some of MDL’s first digital collections to select their favorite digitized items. The variety of their choices highlights the breadth and depth of the digital collections in MDL. They feature iconic views, present little-known back stories, narrate unique experiences, provide valuable and fascinating records, and capture moments in time that may never happen again.

Thanks to the librarians, curators, and archivists from these founding contributors who helped us create this exhibit:

  • Basilica of Saint Mary
  • Dakota County Historical Society
  • Douglas County Historical Society
  • Hennepin County Library
  • History Center of Olmsted County
  • Kandiyohi County Historical Society
  • Lake County Historical Society
  • Minnesota State University Mankato
  • Nicollet County Historical Society
  • Pipestone County Historical Society
  • St. Cloud State University Archives
  • St. Olaf College
  • Scott County Historical Society
  • Stillwater Public Library
  • University of Minnesota Duluth
  • White Bear Lake Area Historical Society
  • Winona State University

Visit the online exhibit today!

Written by

Stephanie Hess
Digital Curator, Minnesota Digital Library
Minnesota Digital Library logo

Historical content from Minnesota's cultural heritage organizations, all in one place

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